Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Saturday's game. Dell sustained this injury while making an impressive 30-yard TD reception. The sophomore wide receiver was eventually carted off the field. Before exiting, Dell caught six of his seven targets for 98 yards and a score. His seven targets were the second-most on the team behind Nico Collins at the time. Dell suffered a broken leg last December which cut his season short and now is in danger of missing the remainder of the 2024 campaign. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to any updates regarding his status. If he were to miss an extended period of time, Nico Collins would be in store for a massive target share down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Now that Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is officially off the Week 16 injury report, fantasy managers can comfortably pencil him in as an RB2 option against the Kansas City Chiefs. The veteran back has had a nice first year as a Texan, but faces a Chiefs defense that ranks first in the NFL against fantasy running backs. Kansas City sits second in the league in yards per attempt allowed and is among the five teams allowing under 100 overall rushing yards per game. Mixon is still starting worthy, especially with 32 catches in 11 games played, but managers should think of him more as a second option in fantasy given the tough matchup.

The struggling Houston Texans' passing game combined with the blitz-happy Kansas City Chiefs should have fantasy managers dialing back expectations for quarterback C.J. Stroud in Week 16. The second-year quarterback has been sacked the fifth-most times in the league this year, which is not a great sign against a Kansas City defense that knocks down quarterbacks and blitzes at the second-highest rate in the NFL. Last year's Rookie of the Year hasn't logged a top-10 quarterback finish since Week 4 or passed for 300 yards since Week 5. The fantasy playoffs and a game at the defending champs probably is not the time or place to bet on a rebound for managers in one-QB formats.

The Houston Texans' offense has been a bit of a letdown this season, but wide receiver Nico Collins has been every bit as good as advertised, maintaining his WR1 status against Kansas City in Week 16. The Michigan Man has played at least 70% of Houston's snaps in seven games and finished in the top 15 among receivers in five of them. Even when things have gone awry, he has produced, as evidenced by last week's game in which he had a season-low 17 yards, but still scored two touchdowns. This week, he'll take on a Kansas City defense that blitzes the second-most of any team, but ranks 12th against fantasy receivers. Managers should feel confident knowing that Collins has delivered in challenging settings before and can do it again.

Even by boom-or-bust standards, Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell has been an extreme case this year, making him a low-end WR4 option in Week 16 against Kansas City. The second-year receiver has failed to surpass 50 yards receiving eight times in 13 games and logged just one top-15 finish among receivers all season. This week, he goes up against a Kansas City defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest total yards and knocked down the quarterback at the second-highest rate in the NFL. Attached to a Houston passing game that has looked out of sorts for large portions of the season, Dell shouldn't be relied upon in standard formats.